According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), at least eight out of ten Grade 4 learners cannot read.
Qhawe Bula and his friends came up with a novel idea that will make books available online. They did this by developing a unique digital library comprising a series of read-along children’s audio-books written in South Africa’s 11 official languages.
The aim is to change the way young children view literature and language and encourage reading culture.
Q: How did you get started?
A: We started in 2018 offering translation services and translating educational material into South African indigenous languages. We also translated for newspapers in Queenstown for a bit.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: In the immediate, it is to launch our digital library on our app. We have previously released content through podcasts and other existing platforms as our distribution channels. We are excited to finally launch our prototype app.
Q: What makes your business unique?
A: What differentiates us is that we are combining audio and written format. Secondly, it is our focus on promoting African languages and philosophies. And the desire to tell African stories.
I think just from that ethos of wanting to celebrate Africanness we will be able to innovate around it. To ensure that we speak to Africans in a manner that excites our imagination. In a manner that feels like home. In the manner that teaches and educates. Also in a manner that ignites us to do so much more.
